Abstract

People ingest many different substances through food. In addition to healthy nutrients, these may include potentially hazardous substances. These substances can either occur naturally in plant- and animal-based foods, or be introduced during the production process. Eating less animal-based food and more plant-based food is good for both health and the environment. However, plant-based food can contain different substances than those found in animal-based food.

For maintaining a good health, it is important that people consume as less hazardous substances as possible. It is, therefore, important to identify which substances people in the Netherlands might consume more of if they replace milk, cheese and meat products with ready-made plant-based substitutes. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has therefore compiled an inventory of these substances.

In all, the RIVM identified 33 substances, or groups of substances, that can be found in the most commonly consumed dairy and meat substitutes. They include heavy metals and mycotoxins. A large proportion of these substances can also be found in dairy and meat products.

For 12 substances, or groups of substances, it is important to determine whether consumption levels could become too high when dairy and meat products are substituted with ready-made plant-based substitutes. For 10 substances, it was not possible to determine this, due to a lack of information. The assessment was possible for two substances: cadmium and lead. The results indicate that the effect of these products on the total quantity of cadmium and lead that people consume through food is small.

The RIVM only investigated substances that people might consume too much if they were to replace animal products with plant-based ones. People might also ingest less of some other harmful substances in this situation, but this was not examined. The RIVM conducted this research at the instigation of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).